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Feeding the Queen
When feeding, each dog must sit before I put their bowl down. Then they must wait until I release them to eat. Simple rule used every time and for my sanity in feeding the Herd. Queen Natasha the Evil is usually offered her food first, but she often wants to prove that she does not actually…
Read Today's Herd StoryHole? What hole?
Hole? What hole? Oh, that hole behind me? The other dogs dug it. Really. I had nothing to do with it. The dirt on my nose? What dirt? Oh, that dirt caked in my nostrils and on my mask? How did I get that there? Well, see, I was trying to push this dirt back…
Read Today's Herd StoryHow difficult can a photograph be?
As you saw yesterday, getting a photograph should be a fairly easy task. Dog jumps up on a proper platform of some sort, in this case, a rock wall. Background is provided courtesy of Mother Nature with bright slue skies, scattered white fluffy clouds, a beautiful summer mountain scenery. All the dog has to do…
Read Today's Herd StoryPosing on Craggy Pinnacle
Craggy Pinnacle has become one of our favorite hikes this summer with the Blue Ridge Parkway closed in that section. About a 4 mile roundtrip from the picnic area parking lot through the flats, up the road and through this tunnel: Then on to the top of Craggy Pinnacle. Kodiak was really enjoying the weather…
Read Today's Herd StoryShhhhhh – Cheoah’s Sleeping
Sometimes, you just have to find the most comfortable spot possible to take a, errrr, cat nap. Or Sibe nap. We were just sitting in the shade in the car after hiking some trails Sunday afternoon when I noticed Cheoah fading fast curled up in the floor board of the front seat: It sure didn’t…
Read Today's Herd StorySunrise from Waterrock Knob
A picture from yesterday morning. We got to Waterrock early and had the trail to ourselves. It was a beautiful, clear morning more fitting fall then summer. And the view from the top was gorgeous as the sun was just working its way into the valleys below. To get the full effect, click on the…
Read Today's Herd StorySarge’s Dog Walk
Today was the Annual Dog Walk for Sarge’s Animal Rescue Fund, the local all-breed rescue. It is a great organization and we thoroughly enjoy going downtown for the walk and hanging out on the courthouse lawn after the event and socializing for a short period of time (the Herd gets way too restless to stay…
Read Today's Herd StorySiberian logic
Even when they are trying to behave, Siberian Husky logic skills are amazing. Let me tell another Nikita story to demonstrate. I wanted Nikita to be able to stay in the house while I was in the kitchen, but not constantly be begging for food. I thought the easiest way to do that would be…
Read Today's Herd StoryTools
Yesterday, as I described the juvenile delinquents in action, I made a comment about a screw being missing and mused if they had stolen my tools. You scoff. But let me explain why . . . It is the fall of 1993 and my very first Siberian, Nikita, is laying in the yard chewing on…
Read Today's Herd StoryJuvenile Delinquents
One of the common questions I get is why I like Siberian Huskies so much. What is it about the breed that gets to me? I can certainly talk about the friend of mine who had one when I was a kid. Or the striking looks. Or the Jack London books. Or any of the…
Read Today's Herd StoryBehind the Scenes
A little “behind” the scenes view. You can see the header on this website, but thought I would show you the “other” view. This is what I see as we hike down a trail: Left to right – Rusty, Kodiak, Cheoah, Natasha, Qannik, Kiska.
Read Today's Herd StoryOff Leash Dogs
WARNING – The author is climbing onto the soapbox. Yesterday, we tried the Laurel River Trail recommended in the book Best Hikes with Dogs: North Carolina by Karen Chavez. So far, I have found the trails recommended by the book to be good, but was very disappointed yesterday. Not by the trail since it was…
Read Today's Herd Story